Things Are Different
by HarryPottergrl19
Summary: Erase everything you know about Harry Potter and his world. Voldemort took over before the Trio started school and has banned Muggle borns from being educated. Hermione is secretly being taught by Dumbledore but needs protection. RemusxHermione eventually
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: In honor of today, May 2****nd**** – International Harry Potter Day – I wanted to release the first chapter of my newest story! I will keep writing on my "Celebrations and Oops!" but I couldn't focus on that story without this one interrupting. This idea hit me in the middle of the night not too long ago. Erase almost everything that you know about Harry Potter and join me in a version of the world where Muggle Borns were never allowed to attend Hogwarts. Hermione seems like a normal Muggle attending school and working as a waitress to Harry, Ron, Remus, and Sirius but she is secretly being taught by Dumbledore. If she's found out, it'll be death for her. Protection might be needed and relationships could bloom. Let me know what you think!**

On to the story! I'll fill in gaps as we go, so don't worry!

**Chapter One**** – Small Celebrations and Danger**

"Come on, Remus! If you don't hurry up, we won't be able to get our usual table!" A twenty year old red head shouted over his shoulder as he practically ran through the crowded sidewalk of Muggle London towards a small restaurant. Remus shook his head at Ron's enthusiasm but followed anyways. "We eat here every Tuesday and Thursday and always get the same table with the same server. You'll love her! She's hilarious and gorgeous!" Ron's ears turned red as he shouted this.

"Today calls for some small celebrations, Remus. You're getting to keep your teaching job at Hogwarts and Ron and I caught some Death Eaters last night so we're celebrating! Every small step against You-Know-Who is one step closer to defeating him!" A hand practically pushed Remus to walk faster and he looked back at the unruly haired young man pushing him. Harry smiled and gave up on pushing him as they neared the door.

"I don't have any muggle money on me, Harry…" Remus started but Harry interrupted him.

"Don't worry about it, our treat!" Harry replied as they entered the restaurant and watched as Ron beelined to their usual table in the back corner. The smells coming from the kitchen made Remus's mouth water. Harry pulled him back to their table and sat beside Ron. "It's a good thing you dressed like a Muggle today, Remus. We don't want 'Mione thinking we're mental," Ron said and Harry gave him a short glare while Remus ignored him. Remus sat opposite of them and looked around curiously at the Muggle posters and pictures that covered the walls of the restaurant. He adjusted the sleeves of his button up shirt and glanced at his jeans and worn boots. He saw a head pop out of the kitchen from the corner of his eye and heard a voice call out.

"Mya, your boys are here!" Harry and Ron grinned at being called her boys and both looked at Remus excitedly.

"So why sit at this table when the restaurant is currently empty?" Remus asked and the boys looked at him incredulously.

"If we didn't, we wouldn't have Hermione as our waitress!" Ron answered and Harry chuckled.

"You really will love her," Harry replied with a knowing smirk at Remus before looking towards the kitchen. His smirk turned to a smile and he elbowed Ron, who looked to where Harry was looking, and Ron's face turned to a bright smile. Remus looked towards the kitchens and saw a beautiful young woman, probably close to Harry and Ron in age, walking toward them with a bright, heart stopping smile on her face.

'_Ron wasn't lying when he said she was gorgeous…_' Remus thought as she stopped beside their table. Remus took in her jeans, sneakers, and light blue button up shirt. The top two buttons were undone and Remus could see the skin of her collarbone. He couldn't help but wonder if that skin was as soft as it looked and had to shake his head to clear the thought. Her hair was wrapped in a loose bun and she had soft curls that had fallen out framing her face.

"Hello boys! I see you brought a friend with you today! My name is Hermione, and you are?" Hermione held her hand out to Remus, who shook it softly. Her skin was indeed as soft as it looked.

"Remus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Hermione," Remus replied and Hermione smiled and chuckled.

"The pleasure is all mine! Any friend of Harry or Ron's is welcome at my table anytime," she gave a small glance to the two young men who were looking at Remus with a knowing look. She looked between the three of them curiously before continuing, "now unless you want me to refer to you as Mr. Remus, you can call me Hermione. Not Miss Hermione; although your manners are very touching, Miss Hermione sounds…odd…"

"My apologies, Hermione…" Remus started and Hermione smiled.

"No worries! Now I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask Harry and Ron if they wanted to change up their routine and get something other than a coffee with cream and a unsweetened tea to drink?" Harry and Ron looked at her like she was mental and she laughed at their looks while holding her hands up as if in surrender. Remus couldn't help but smile and feel uplifted by the young woman's laugh. "Alright, alright you two, don't freak out. What would you like to drink Remus?" Hearing her say his name made him come out of his thoughts and he looked at her, slightly surprised.

"Uh…tea, please," he answered, feeling some heat go to his cheeks at being caught not paying attention. Harry and Ron snickered and he glared at them. Hermione nodded and walked off to get their drinks. Remus frowned as he watched the two younger boys staring at Hermione's backside as she walked off.

"Harry, what would Ginny say if she saw you looking at another woman?" Remus asked with a smirk and watched as Harry sat up and looked away from Hermione with a slight blush. "What about you, Ron? Should I tell Lavender that you're gawking at another woman's assets?" Ron sat up with a glare at Remus, his ears red from embarassment and slight shame.

"A bloke can look right?" Ron muttered and Remus smiled. Harry opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Hermione came back with a small tray holding four cups. Remus looked at the fourth cup of tea in confusion while Harry and Ron smiled brightly.

"Alright, a coffee with a small amount of cream for Harry, an unsweetened tea for Ronald, and a tea with one lump of sugar for Remus. I guessed on how much sugar you'd like, Remus, so if that's not correct just let me know!" Remus took a quick sip and sighed at the taste. It tasted like he had made it at home.

"It's perfect, thank you."

"Hermione's got a natural talent for finding what people are craving," Ron said with a grin as he relaxed into his own cup of warm tea. "You should let her pick your meal for you!"

"Hermione, are you taking your lunch break with us again today? I see you have your cup of tea…" Harry asked and Hermione blushed slightly and glanced at Remus.

"I was thinking about it, but I don't want to impose on your time with Remus…" she started and all three men made some form of noise and waved at her.

"We live with him, 'Mione!" Ron said and Remus chuckled.

"We don't mind if you want to eat with us, Hermione. It'd be nice to get to know you better," Remus said and Hermione blushed more. Harry sent Remus a grin and a wink, causing the older man to cough into his tea. Hermione set her cup of tea down beside Remus and turned to Harry and Ron.

"Ready to eat?"

"Starving!" Ron replied and Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "Pick all of our meals, Hermione!" She nodded and walked away thinking about their food. Harry's smiled disappeared and he looked at Remus solemnly.

"We wanted to take you to lunch to not only congratulate you on another year of teaching, but to also talk to you about some things…" the green eyed man leaned back in his chair and Ron gave a cough.

"Do we have to talk about this now, 'Arry?" Ron mumbled and Remus sat his elbows on the table and looked between the two curiously. Harry nodded and leaned forward to talk to him.

"The Death Eaters we caught last night…one of them was Greyback…" Remus sighed as Harry continued, "under the Truth Serum, one of them admitted that Voldemort has control of the ministry…"

"Not surprising," Remus interrupted with a frown. Where was the youth going with this?

"They're passing stricter muggle born and 'Dark Creature' laws, Remus…You're safe at Hogwarts and Grimmauld Place, but there's a law passing…they're approving the killings of Muggle Borns that try to learn magic, marry into a magical family, or to even set foot in a magical area…They are trying to weed them out of the population completely. I've heard that some of the upper ranking officers have been assigned with tracking down any possible Muggle borns and killing them before they even realize they have magical abilities and if anyone is attempting to teach Muggle borns any kind of magic, they'll be sentenced to Azkaban and death. It's getting pretty dangerous for us…I wish I could figure out a way to kill Vol-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…" Remus felt a weight return to his shoulders and chest and realized how much Hermione's light personality had affected him during that brief time. He wished she'd return soon to end this conversation.

Unbeknownst to the men at the table, Hermione stood around the corner from them. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop but when she heard what Harry was saying, she couldn't stop herself. Tears burned her eyes when she heard what he was saying. She knew that her secret meetings with Dumbledore had been breaking the laws of the Ministry, but now they were risking Dumbledore's life, her own, and probably even her parents' lives! A tear raced its way down her cheek and she quickly released a shaky breath as she tried to calm her nerves. She would discuss these new laws with Dumbledore the next day and see about cancelling her lessons for a while. The toll of the bell on the counter made her jump and she quickly walked over to pick up the four plates and her textbook and carried the load back to the table.

The three men stopped talking when they caught sight of Hermione walking towards them. Harry and Remus noticed a slight hesitation in her steps and a shake to her hands as she handed them their food.

"For Ronald, I have a large fish and chips to help try and curb that never ending appetite. Harry, I got you a chicken and shrimp with vegetables and for Remus, I have a rare steak with potatoes. How'd I do this time?" Hermione asked while trying to smile. Ron began shoving food in his mouth the moment the plate was in front of him, something that made both Remus and Hermione frown. A nod was all Hermione received from the red haired man. Harry sighed and took a deep breath of the smell and smiled brightly.

"Smells great! Spot on like usual, Hermione!" Harry began eating as well and Hermione turned to Remus, who simply stared at the steak with his mouth watering. The full moon was later that week andhis craving for rare meat had increased ten fold. His silence made Hermione uncomfortable and she quickly panicked.

"It's not right, is it? I'm so sorry! What would you like? I'll go fix this right away…" she began to reach for the plate but Remus quickly stopped her.

"No, no. My apologies! This is perfect! I'm just not sure where to start…" Remus said with a soft smile. Hermione's eyes widened slightly before she too smiled before sitting beside him with her own plate of steak and fries.

"Start with the fried potatoes. Save the best for last, right?" she said before she began munching quietly on a fry while opening her thick textbook and beginning to read. Ron and Harry stared at the thick book in discomfort and horror and Remus chuckled.

"What. Is. That?" Ron asked with his mouth full of fish. Remus and Hermione frowned at him, both of their faces clearly holding disgust for his habit.

"It's a book, Ronald. Surely, your mother taught you not to talk with your mouth full?" Hermione asked quietly but her voice held the same amount of disgust and contempt to his habits. Ron's ears turned red and he quickly ducked his head down and continued eating like it was his first and last meal. Remus shook his head and swallowed his mouthful of food before asking Hermione his question.

"What are you reading, Hermione?" she smiled at his manners and quickly lifted the cover for him to see. He smiled when he recognized the book.

"It's my Classical Literature textbook for class."

"Oh? What school do you attend?" Remus asked as he eyed her current page as curiosity of which story she was reading peaked in him.

"Oh, I'm currently attending University of London. I haven't been able to decide which field of study I want to focus more on so I'm taking as many different courses as I can! They're most certainly all very interesting!" Remus nodded in understanding.

"I can agree. I attended University of London for a while myself at the pressure of my mother, although paying for the school costs was quite difficult."

"You did?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Yes, I did. It was quite a culture shock going from the…private school I had attended before to such a large university but it was an experience I enjoyed. I'm friends with many of the professors who teach there and I occasionally sit through some of the lectures when I have some free time. My favorite lectures to sit through happen to be the Classical Literature class," Remus explained before taking a bite of the steak. Hermione's eyes lit up and she quickly turned in her seat to face him more directly.

"Oh, you must tell me which of the stories you enjoy the most! I personally find many of Shakespeare's works to be truly wonderful!" Harry shook his head at the two of them as they disappeared in to their own world of literature and subjects he had little care of. The rest of their lunch was spent with Hermione and Remus practically ignoring the other two boys at the table, which was fine with the two of them since they were too busy eating. After their lunch plates were empty and Hermione's lunch break was over, the three men paid and left with a promise to return the next week. Hermione smiled brightly and waved the three goodbye before reentering the restaurant to prepare for the remaining hours of her long shift.

~ **Hours Later** ~

Hermione felt that she had to basically drag herself to the hidden portkey in her incredibly small flat. She gave a heavy sigh as she dropped her overflowing bag on to her bed and looked at the time. Five more minutes until the Portkey activated and took her to Dumbledore's office in his school. She found herself dreading the lesson that evening as the thoughts of what would happen if they were caught reentered her mind. She usually enjoyed their lessons and discussions more than anything else, but tonight was different. From now on, really, would be different. Fear had a tight grip on Hermione's heart.

She quickly picked up the armful of textbooks Dumbledore had assigned for her to read over the past week and quickly picked up the portkey as it activated. When her feet landed ungracefully on the floor of the Headmaster's office, she quickly took a deep breath and looked around for the wise old man.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Right on time," Dumbledore said as he walked in to the room from behind her. She could see a statue of a Gargoyle turning downwards and sealing the room off behind him before the door was shut. "If I'm not mistaken, you have a lot on your mind right now. Why don't we discuss these topics? Would you like a lemon drop?" Hermione shook her head no and quickly deposited the books on his desk before sitting.

"Professor Dumbledore, sir…I met Harry, Ron, and Remus at lunch today…" she started but Dumbledore stopped her with a smile and a laugh.

"Yes, I've heard that the two young men have come to appreciate that specific muggle restaurant and their usual waitress. Remus being there is something entirely new, though."

"Yes, well…I didn't mean to…but I overheard them discussing new laws being passed in the Ministry. These laws have me concerned, sir. For your safety and for my parents. You are risking so much to teach me these forbidden things when you have a school of witches and wizards who need your protection more than I need to be taught these spells." Dumbledore's bright blue eyes lost their twinkle and he sat back for a moment.

"You have an incredible gift and intellect, Miss Granger. A gift that could help end the suffering of all witches and wizards alike. As I understand it, you are attending a muggle school at the moment, correct?"

"Yes sir, but…"

"And your classes will be ending soon, correct?"

"Yes, but Professor…"

"Then it is settled. When your muggle classes have finished for the semester, you will come live here in secret. You will be kept safest here as long as no one knows you are here unless I tell them myself, understood?" Hermione stared at him in shock for a moment before nodding slowly.

"What about my parents?" She asked. Dumbledore's face darkened slightly before he smiled softly.

"Perhaps they need a vacation. We'll just have to alter a few things before they go." Hermione's eyes widened as she realized what he was talking about.

"Professor, I'd like to go home. I'll make up missing today when I start living here, if that is alright?"

"That is quite alright, Miss Granger. Allow me to assist you in getting home. I'm afraid that the Portkey channels are beginning to be watched a lot more closely so we will no longer be able to send you home or bring you back here by such a method any more," Dumbledore said as he walked around the room. Hermione's stomach knotted as he spoke and she nodded in understanding. "I'm hoping you remember your flying lessons?" He asked as he pulled a broom out of a hidden crevice. Hermione blanched.

"Yes sir, I do. I don't like flying though, sir…"

"Nobody ever does when they first start. Except for a small handful of people. Fawkes, if you will go and retrieve Mr. Potter please." Dumbledore said with a smile and Hermione watched as his beautiful phoenix stretched and took flight. "Harry Potter will be a wonderful friend to you, Miss Granger. He will help keep you safe and make sure you arrive to your flat safely."

The door opened and Hermione jumped out of her seat and prepared to dive out of sight when she realized who was at the door. Harry stood in the doorway in a black uniform with silver snaps and embroidery. His face held a look of incredulous shock as he took in the young woman standing. His eyes flew to Dumbledore, who looked upon him sternly.

"I hope I didn't interfere with you working, Harry."

"N-No sir. I just got off a short shift. The other Aurors found no need of me staying any later. Sir, why is Hermione here? She's…I thought that she was a…" Harry stuttered as his eyes went back to Hermione's wide brown eyes.

"That is what I need to discuss with you, Harry. She is a Muggle born, Harry, and I've been trying to teach her as much as I can. We've been meeting secretly for a little over a year now and I dare say she is the most brilliant young lady this school has ever seen. She's learning quickly and has already completed up through what would be her seventh year here, theoretically speaking. Just last week, she received her Apparition license which was difficult to do without Ministry approval. However, I'm afraid with her location in Muggle London, her ability to practice the spells in a hands-on manner is impossible so she will be moving here in a few weeks. Now Harry, I'm sure I don't need to stress the importance of absolutely no one else knowing about her but I must insist that you don't tell Miss Weasley or her brother, or Remus. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Harry kept his eyes on Hermione as he listened and answered his old Professor. He smiled at Hermione before walking over to her and hugging her. "This is brilliant, Hermione! When you start living here, I can visit you anytime and we can go over defensive spells and…"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted with a chuckle, "I have things to take care of at home and they need to be taken care of as quickly as possible." Hermione's throat clenched as she thought of her parents and how she would have to wipe their memories before she left and the sooner she did so, the better.

"Ah, right…of course. We'll walk down to the school's gate and fly back to your flat, alright?" Harry ran his hand through his hair before pulling out his wand. "I'll perform a Disillusionment charm on us both first."

"Miss Granger," Dumbledore interrupted. "All I can say is that any spells used outside of this school by you will attract the attention of the Ministry very quickly. You'll have only split seconds after performing the spell to leave before Aurors will be upon you. While Harry and Ron are on your side of this battle, most of the other Aurors will not be and you will be prosecuted or killed if you are caught. Becareful," Dumbledore warned and she nodded numbly. Harry tapped her with his wand and she felt the shiver of the charm take effect before he tapped himself and opened the door. Hermione grabbed the broom from Dumbledore and quickly walked out the door with Harry.

"I'm sorry for not telling you, Harry…"

"It's perfectly understandable. One never knows who they can trust in this world right now. You can always trust me though okay, Hermione?" Harry asked as he wrapped a disillusioned arm around her shoulders. Hermione smiled and nodded.

"You can trust me, Harry. I'll help you as much as I can, Harry. I want a world where Muggle borns, and other magical creatures for that matter, have the freedoms to come here to Hogwarts or to have a job. Before you ask, I've read through the laws and some of the Daily Prophets in Dumbledore's office so that is how I know these things…"

"Well, Muggle borns _did_ have the freedoms for a while. Most of the time that Hogwarts has been open for that matter. The laws against Muggle borns passed shortly after my parents graduated from here due to Vol-He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named taking over. He's been in control ever since…"

"Why don't you say his name, Harry? Fearing Vold-" Hermione began but Harry quickly covered her mouth with his hand.

"Don't say his name, Hermione. Ever. Especially with you being a Muggle born, understand?" Hermione nodded and looked at the Disillusioned area behind the floating glasses in front of her. Harry quickly uncovered her mouth and apologized for it. By this time, the two were near the school gate.

"If you ever need to apparate here, this will be the place to do so. Here or Hogsmeade, although apparating to either place is a risk I'm afraid. It will set off alarms regardless. Your best bet would be here so that you can quickly enter the grounds and be protected against any Death Eaters attacking."

"Harry…Forgive me for asking, but I've read a few things and somethings aren't making any sense. Could you clarify?"

"I can try. Dumbledore is usually better at explaining things," Harry answered as he opened the school gate with a tap of his wand.

"I read that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…killed your parents and that he is hunting you down…If he has taken over the Ministry, how come you work there as an Auror? Wouldn't that just be like handing yourself over to him?" Hermione asked and Harry grinned.

"I don't work as an Auror. Not entirely, that is. A friend of mine and a fellow member of Dumbledore's Order Of the Phoenix is an Auror and whenever he works with other members , he'll allow me to tag along. The Order is my main focus right now. We've been trying to catch and imprison Death Eaters to get information and to keep them from making things worse. It's a slow and difficult thing to do, but we're trying." Harry met Hermione's eyes before pulling out a small broom from his pocket and enlarging it to reveal his Firebolt. "Shall we?"

"Uh…yeah…" Hermione answered before shakily straddling her broom and kicking off when Harry did.

**A/N: **What do you guys think of the first chapter? :)


	2. Chapter 2 Meetings and Moving

**A/N: **I don't own the characters. HP belongs to Rowling.

**Things Are Different – Chapter Two – **Meetings and Leaving

Hermione sighed heavily as she looked around her almost empty flat. The next week she would be erasing her parents' memories and moving to Hogwarts. To be honest, she was terrified of having to erase her parents' memories. According to the advanced spell book Dumbledore had leant her, reversing the effects of the spell could be quite difficult and in some cases devastating. Hermione glanced quickly at the time and noticed she had to get to her classical literature exam. After today, she was done for the semester and most likely done in the Muggle world forever. She sighed heavily when she noticed the dark clouds that were moving in and thought briefly about grabbing her umbrella but another look at her watch told her she had to hurry to her class.

When she arrived, she noticed the small auditorium was already mostly filled so she quickly sat in one of the back rows to avoid bothering her fellow classmates. She was surprised to see that the professor wasn't there yet. He, like her, was usually early and already prepared for the day. Hermione sighed again and quickly pulled out her small beaded bag to dig out her utensils in preparation for the exam. The door to the classroom opened while she was busy. The voice that called out to the room was not her professor's and made a shiver go down her spine.

"Good morning class. I'm going to be sitting briefly over your exam today as your normal professor had a family emergency." Hermione sat up quickly as the voice of the speaker registered in her mind and her eyes widened at the sight of Remus at the front of the room with a stack of exam booklets. "You may call me Professor Lupin. I've been informed that you have already discussed what is on the exam so if everyone will just clear your desks, we can get started." Hermione smiled at how Remus looked so at ease in front of her class and she wondered briefly if he was a teacher somewhere else or if he had wanted to be a teacher. He had a natural gift for catching his students' attention. She didn't mean that in just a physically attractive way, though he certainly had amazing looks and a slightly muscled body that she could see through the long sleeves of his button up shirt. She blushed slightly as she realized what she was thinking and quickly shook her head to clear the thoughts.

A frown quickly covered her face as she thought of Harry and Dumbledore. She knew Remus was a wizard because he had understood what Harry had told him of the new laws earlier and she figured he was on Dumbledore's side in the war, but she couldn't help but wonder if he would be okay with her "dirty blood" status. She wanted to believe that since he was evidently a close friend of Dumbledore's and Harry and Ron's roommate that he would be unbiased and open to her friendship and her learningmagic illegally, but she had her doubts. In her mind, they were justified. She would rather have to lie and hide from the attractive man than take the chance of telling him the truth and find out he hated Muggle Borns. Or that he had a fear of trouble with the law and would turn her in to protect himself from any repercussions. '_Merlin's beard, Hermione, stop thinking about him like that! He's probably just like Dumbledore and against the Muggle born laws and as attractive as he is, he's probably already taken…Stop calling him attractive!'_ she thought to herself before she quickly shook her head again and grabbed an exam booklet as it passed her.

Halfway through her exam, Hermione found her eyes being glued to Remus as he walked quietly around the room, watching other students as they struggled with their exams. She quickly returned to her exam so that she could be finished and turn in the booklet while he was still on the other side of the room. She was successful in finishing first and left the auditorium in hopes of returning to her apartment as quickly as possible and resuming her preparations to leave. The moment Hermione was in the empty hallway, a red feather suddenly appeared in front of her and she frowned. The feather resembled one of Dumbledore's phoenix's and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise when she saw golden lettering appear on the feather.

_"You're under investigation. Aurors will be sent to your parents' and your apartment sometime today. I will be able to give you a thirty minute time frame to use any spells necessary to get your family prepared and out of their house in a few hours time. After those thirty minutes, the first spell you use will immediately be tracked and Death Eaters will be upon you as quick as possible. Harry will meet you at the gate tonight. ~ Albus"_

Hermione frowned. How were they able to investigate and track her down? As far as she knew, there were no other magical beings in her family that they could have investigated and follow down her family line to her. Oh well, what mattered was that she was desperately running out of time to run to her apartment and pack the last of her clothes and go to her parent's and erase their memories. Hermione quickly shoved the feather in her beaded bag as the rest of her class began filing out of their classroom and began mingling with each other to discuss their exams. Behind her classmates she could see the top of the teacher's assistant rushing up to Remus to take the exam books from him. Remus smiled and gladly handed the booklets over to the assistant before stepping through the side door to leave. Hermione's stomach knotted as she did a mental coin toss of whether or not to talk to Remus. She pushed her way through the crowd and opened the side door to find it pouring in rain.

"Of course…" she grumbled out before walking over to where Remus stood waiting for something under an umbrella. At least he was smart to remember something so important as an umbrella. Hermione mentally kicked herself for not turning back around to get hers before she had left for her exam. She shook her head to focus and realized that Remus still had his back to her. Hermione found that she didn't mind being rained on anymore, or the fact that she was already practically soaked in the heavy downpour, and felt a sudden warmth flooding through her body at the sight of the man in front of her. She took a deep breath and approached him as quietly as she could in the heavy rain until she stood directly beside him.

"So, do I still need to call you _Professor_?" Hermione asked with a bright smile. Remus jumped slightly before looking at Hermione in shock. He smiled brightly when he saw her and Hermione couldn't help the blush as it tinted her cheeks.

"Oh Hermione, what a pleasure! I wasn't sure if this was your class time or not. No, no Remus is perfectly fine." Remus took in her soaked appearance and quickly changed hands on his umbrella so that it covered both of them. Hermione laughed at his manners before gesturing to her soaked curls that clung to her face and her clothes that clung to her curves, something Remus tried but failed to ignore.

"Thank you for the gesture, Remus, but seeing that I'm already soaked it isn't necessary. Now you, on the other hand, are perfectly dry and we should do everything we can to keep it that way." Hermione said as she gently pushed the umbrella back over Remus. He shook his head and moved it back to where it covered most of her and half of him.

"What kind of man would I be if I kept myself dry and you from any chance of drying off? Unheard of, Hermione." Remus smiled, making Hermione blush and nod. "Do you need to walk home or anything, Hermione? I can walk with you, if you'd like." Hermione lightly chewed on her bottom lip as she weighed the pros and cons of having him walk home with her. The only con to him walking her home would be that she would have less time to prepare for leaving, but all she had to do was shrink her stuff and place it in her beaded bag and erase her parents memories.

"I have to walk home but I don't want to cause any issues with whoever you are waiting for…"

"Oh, I'm not waiting on anyone. I just enjoy the rain and watching people's reactions to it. If it doesn't bother you, I would like to walk you home," Remus interrupted.

"I would like that very much. Company is always appreciated," Hermione said while thinking '_especially yours…'_ which made her think many foul words to herself for thinking such a thing. Remus smiled brightly before standing on her side closest to the street while she pointed which direction it was to her flat. Most of the walk to her flat was filled with them discussing various things from literary works, to how he knew Harry, and where he worked. He was a teacher, she found out, at the private school he had attended as a child. Hermione put the pieces together when he said he knew Harry through the school and his parents. '_He must teach at Hogwarts_' Hermione thought excitedly. She wondered if he would be assisting in teaching her when she lived there permanently. Hermione could barely contain the excitement of the chance of that happening but schooled her features to keep from startling the handsome man beside her. '_There you go again, Hermione. I give up…_' she thought.

"Hermione?" Remus inquired, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"You alright?"

"Oh, uh, yes. I was just thinking. It must be pretty surreal to be teaching at the same school you attended and then you taught your best friend's child." Hermione said without thinking. The brief look of grief at the mention of his friends had her quickly back tracking. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Remus. Harry told me what happened to them," '_not exactly a lie_', "I didn't even think about it when I said it…"

"It's alright, Hermione. It was almost twenty years ago…"

"Still inexcusable of me. OH!" Hermione cried out as a bus drove past them and hit a puddle, which splashed against Remus who had wrapped her in his arms to cover her at the last moment. Remus chuckled and Hermione felt the vibrations of his laugh. They both stood still for a moment, enjoying the feeling of being held or holding the other before both began laughing.

"Well since we're both soaked, I guess the umbrella truly is useless now," Remus said between chuckles as he closed the useless object and the two were immediately drenched from the still pouring rain. Hermione laughed and grabbed Remus's hand and started running.

"Come on, _Professor_. If you can keep up, that is!" Hermione yelled with a laugh as she let go of his hand and ran ahead. Remus laughed and quickly took off running after her. He caught up to her quickly, thanks to his werewolf abilities and speed. He managed to grab ahold of her, pick her up, and spin her around making her shriek with laughter. Other couples around them chuckled at the sight of the two soaked "love birds" as they called them. Remus and Hermione held onto each other for a moment before she gestured to a building nearby. "Would you like to come in for a cup of hot tea?" Hermione asked. Remus gently brushed a wet curl off her forehead before nodding. The two walked calmly into her flat, which Remus noticed was almost empty of everything. It created a sick feeling in his stomach.

"Are you moving?"

"Oh, yes. To a slightly bigger place not too far from here…" Hermione replied as she disappeared down the hall to grab them towels. While Hermione was alone, she felt something weird from her beaded bag and opened it to see the feather glow softly. Pulling it out, she noticed the writing had changed.

'_I've managed to give you an hour of undetectable magic use. It won't last long so be sure to use it wisely._ _Albus_'

Of course he would start her time now…she would have to somehow dismiss Remus so she could pack her things and save her parents. Hermione quickly walked into her bedroom and pulled her wand out and cast an Undetectable Extension Charm on her beaded bag. She quickly pushed as many of her clothes and books into the bag before putting it back on and grabbing the two discarded towels. She stowed her wand in the bag as well before quickly joining Remus in her small kitchen. She noticed he was pacing and quickly apologized for taking so long.

"It's no worry, Hermione. I…I'm sorry but I really should be going…" Remus quickly said as he rushed to the door. He was gone before she had a chance to say anything, making her sigh and fight to ignore the hurt building in her. _It was for the best in the long run_, she told herself as she shook her head to refocus. Hermione looked around her apartment and pulled out her wand to shrink her remaining bags when a knock on the door made her freeze. She quietly approached her door and glanced through the peephole to see who was there. A blonde haired man stood on the other side of the door with two others, one male with scars on his face and one female with wild, curly black hair, and Hermione felt her chest tighten at the sight.

"That was my pup Lupin back there on the street. Perhaps he knows this Mudblood?" Hermione froze and quickly stepped back from the door. The use of the word Mudblood told her exactly who was on the other side of the door. Her flat only had the one door and a few windows as a means of escape and with the door currently being blocked by who she was guessing were Aurors or Death Eaters, that left her with the windows. She backed away from the door as quietly and carefully as she could. Her elbow bumped one of the boxes of books she had intended on shrinking and placing in her bag and it fell to the floor with a boom. She felt her heart race as silence weighed in her home and she felt fear suffocating her. The door suddenly blasted off the hinges and she ducked as shrapnel flew at her, some of the pieces sticking in her skin made her gasp in pain.

"Indeed, I can smell Lupin in here…"

"Well, well looky here, Yaxley. Our little Mudblood _is_ home," the woman cackled out. The blonde haired man smiled cruefully at Hermione who pulled a piece of her door out of her leg with a whimper.

"Come along, my dear. We won't hurt you," the woman said as she walked towards Hermione. Hermione tightened her grip on her wand as the three approached her, each with a sickening smile on their face.

"You lie," Hermione spat out before she fired a handful of jinxes at the three, who looked at her in shock as they blocked before firing spells back at her. She blocked each attack as she backed towards the closest window.

"You've been learning magic, deary. That is against the law…" the woman said before she fired a red spell at Hermione, who barely dodged it.

"Bellatrix, I think the Dark Lord would like the meet this one, don't you?"

"He might enjoy her skill, Yaxley."

"Not to mention the physical pleasure she would give to our friends, right Greyback?" Yaxley eyed Hermione's still somewhat soaked body and she felt her stomach flip nauseatingly. Hermione glanced behind her and noticed she was close enough to the window now and focused on her parents house. She gavethe three Death Eaters a grin before she disapparated out the window, shattering it as she did.

Her feet landed smoothly on the sidewalk leading to her parent's house and she quickly ran inside, startling her parents who were watching television.

"Hermione? Oh my goodness, what happened to you?" her mother cried out as she saw the cuts and scrapes on her daughter. Both her parents pulled her into a tight hug and Hermione quickly hugged them back before pulling back.

"Mum, dad, please sit and I'll make us tea and I'll tell you everything…" her parents looked at each other skeptically before nodding to their daughter and sitting on the couch with their backs to her. Hermione took a deep breath before casting a spell on the furniture and other belongings of her parents. She watched as everything shrunk itself down and packed itself into her parents car. Her parents yelped in surprise as the couch shrunk beneath them and they stood in bewilderment as everything floated out the door.

"I'm so sorry, Mum…Dad…I love you…" Hermione choked out before pointing her wand at them. "Obliviate," Hermione muttered. She watched as the grains of her life left her parents' minds and entered her wand.

**To Remus**

"Remus, let's go get dinner really quick!" Harry called out, making the werewolf sigh. He had been sitting on the couch since he had arrived back to Grimmauld Place after leaving Hermione earlier that afternoon, staring blankly at the wall. Harry and Ron suddenly stood in his vision and he glanced up at them before nodding and standing. The three of them walked in silence from Grimmauld Place to the small muggle restaurant Hermione worked at. When Remus realized where they were he tried to dissuade the two younger men from eating there but was quickly silenced by both of them.

"We're eating here, Remus. Besides, Sirius is already here waiting," Harry said as he pushed Remus in to the building behind Ron. Remus sighed before following dejectedly behind Ron to their corner table where Sirius already sat.

"Moony, old friend!" Sirius cried out with a laugh as he hugged his friend happily. The four men all sat and waited for the brunette to walk over to their table. To their surprise, a blonde waitress came over to them.

"Hey guys, sorry Mya isn't here today…she didn't show up to work." The waitress said solemnly and Remus, Harry, and Ron glanced at each other worriedly. Sirius, not knowing who this "Mya" was, glanced at his friends in confusion. Harry glared up at the blonde waitress, who stepped back at the look.

"Do you know where she is?" he asked. The young woman started crying and shaking her head.

"I…I went by her flat to see if she was there and…well, it looked like someone broke in. The door was all charred and broken in…I called the police, they're looking for her now…I'm so sorry boys, I know she was a good friend of yours…" the blonde stated through her tears. Harry stood up and bolted from the restaurant. The other three men stared at his back for a moment before quickly joining him.

"I've been to her flat, we need to check this out…" Harry said before grabbing a hold of Ron and Sirius, who grabbed Remus's shoulder as the group all disapparated. The moment the four men were back on solid ground, Remus could smell Greyback. His stench was unmistakable and he growled.

"What is it, Moony?" Sirius asked, knowing that with the Full Moon later in the week Remus's senses were stronger than normal.

"It reeks of Greyback…and your cousin, Bellatrix…" Remus growled out. The group walked down the hall and found what was left of Hermione's door, which was crossed over with Police tape. True to what the waitress had said, the door had been blasted in and was in pieces. The group ducked under the tape and looked around the flat. There were scorch marks from spells on the walls and her boxes were all destroyed, pieces of paper and book having exploded out of the boxes when Yaxley had angrily fired spells at them after Hermione had left. Remus looked around the flat with a confused look on his face before he smelled it. Blood. It was faint, but there was enough there to raise his concern.

"She's injured," he stated before facing Harry. "Why would Bellatrix and Greyback come after Hermione?" he asked. Harry looked away from him in shame and a look of understanding crossed Remus's face. "She's a Muggle born…"

"Yes…Dumbledore made me swear not to tell you guys…" Harry stated as he looked at Ron in shame of keeping him out of the loop. Ron nodded in understanding and patted Harry on the shoulder. "I only just found out last week though…" Harry said as he glanced at Remus, whose eyes were filled with regret.

"I was here earlier…" Remus stated, his voice heavy with guilt. "I left…I was afraid getting too close to her would place her in danger because of what I am…If I had stayed, I could have protected her…" Sirius approached his old friend and placed a hand on his shoulders.

"There was no way you would have known about this, mate…" Harry suddenly looked up and frowned.

"I was supposed to meet her at the school gate!" he cried out and the group quickly focused on the entrance to the school's grounds and disapparated. They were greeted with a solemn looking Dumbledore.

"Has Hermione…?" Harry started but was interrupted.

"I'm afriad not…" Dumbledore said.

**Back to Hermione**

Hermione watched as her parents recovered from the memory wipe as they glanced at her curiously.

"Have you managed to sell the house?" her mother asked, her tone professional and unattached. Hermione could only nod as the lump in her throat grew. She had inserted a memory of them planning to move to Australia and her being their real estate agent instead of their daughter. Her father reached his hand across to shake hers when the door blew to pieces, pelting Hermione and her parents with shrapnel.

"What is with you people and blowing up doors? Why can't you just knock and open it like a normal person?" Hermione shouted angrily at Yaxley as he walked in with a triumphant smile on his face. Bellatrix and Greyback entered behind him and they grinned when they saw her parents.

"It's much more fun and intimidating to blow up the door, Beautiful…" Greyback growled out. Bellatrix walked around Hermione and her parents with a smile of maniacal glee.

"Saying goodbye to Mummy and Daddy, Deary?" Bellatrix said. Hermione's parents looked at the three strangers in confusion.

"We don't have a daughter…" her mother said. It felt like a stab to Hermione's heart. A successful stab, as that meant she had done the memory charm correctly, but a stab non the less. Bellatrix let out a cackle and Hermione did her best to glare at the psychotic woman.

"You wiped your own parents memories? How delightful, but tell me, Yaxley, will doing this save their lives now?"

"It won't. You see, Mudblood, if you had just surrendered when we had come for you the first time, we would have left your dear, sweet parents alone…but now? Now it's time to teach you a lesson," Yaxley turned to Hermione's father and raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted.

"NO!" Hermione dove forward to push her father away but was grabbed by Greyback. She watched helplessly as the spell hit her father and he fell to the ground dead. Her mother gave a shriek in grief and confusion as Bellatrix laughed. Bellatrix then pointed her wand at Hermione's mother and repeated the same thing. Hermione cried out in anguish as her mother joined her father in death. She felt her heart shatter and her lungs constrict as Greyback let her go and she dropped to her knees near her mother. The logical part of her mind told her that this was her chance to escape but the rest of her couldn't focus on Hogwarts well enough to disapparate.

"See what you've done, Mudblood? If only you hadn't fought with us…Mummy and Daddy would still be alive." Bellatrix taunted before laughing. Hermione did her best to block out what was being said to her but it was no use. The crazy woman was right. If Hermione hadn't run off, or if she had moved faster, she could have saved her parents…Tears fought their ways to Hermione's eyes and she blinked furiously to clear them. "The Dark Lord will want her alive, but he would approve of us toying with her some before we did so. _Crucio!_" Hermione cried out as her nerves felt like they were being set a blaze and her body twitched and convulsed painfully on the floor for over ten seconds before Bellatrix released the spell.

"Remind me, Bella, what is that spell that Severus enjoys using so much?" Yaxley asked, his voice full of glee. Hermione gripped her wand tightly as she forced herself to stand through the pain. She focused her mind on Hogwarts and the school gate. She just needed to get to safety. '_I can grieve there…Come on, Hermione, focus!_'

"Sectumsempra!" Bellatrix called out with a smile. Hermione felt the slashes of the spell across her stomach, chest, and one across her neck as she began to disapparate to the school. She vanished from the sight of the three Death Eaters with a gasp hanging in the air and a small pool of blood on the floor behind her. Hermione felt her focus on Hogwarts slipping and felt an immense pain through her arm . Her back connected with a hard thud on the ground and she coughed and sputtered on her blood as it filled her lungs and mouth. The slash across her throat was deep, she could tell as she felt her life leaving her body. She vaguely heard her name being yelled through her pain and the darkness that began to fill her vision. She looked up at the sky above her only to see a pair of worried blue eyes and sandy hair and a pair of green speckled eyes before her vision went black.


	3. Chapter 3 - Healing and Hogwarts

**A/N: **I don't own Harry Potter. I am SO sorry for how long this has taken me!

**Things Are Different **– Chapter Three – Healing and Hogwarts

Recap:_ She vaguely heard her name being yelled through her pain and the darkness that began to fill her vision. She looked up at the sky above her only to see a pair of worried blue eyes and sandy hair and a pair of green speckled eyes before her vision went black._

**Remus**

The four men stared at Dumbledore, fear growing in their stomach as his answer sunk in. Remus felt himself get light headed. Hermione was being hunted by Death Eaters and missing. Sirius clapped a hand on Remus's shoulder and the four men looked at Dumbledore wondering what they could do to find their missing friend. Dumbledore opened his mouth to answer the unspoken question when a loud pop of someone apparating sounded behind Remus, making him turn quickly. The sight before him stopped his heart instantly.

Hermione lay on the ground covered in blood and gashes. Her arm was mangled from being splinched during her apparition and her throat was slashed. With a cry, Remus dove forward, tearing the sleeve of his shirt as he knelt beside her. He quickly wrapped her neck with his ripped sleeve while Harry dove around to her other side. Ron hung back, slightly pale at the sight of all of the blood but ready to assist if needed. He realized angrily that now would be a good time to remember all of the healing spells he had been taught over the years, but found himself unable to recall any of them.

"Hermione, hold on, alright Love? Harry, hold this so I can heal some of this. Hurry," Hermione's mouth opened slightly as she attempted to reply but blood blocked her throat and pooled out of her mouth. "Shh, just focus on breathing and keeping your eyes open. Keep your eyes on either me or Harry," Remus said as he pulled his wand out and Harry held the cloth on her throat. Dumbledore knelt next to Remus and began healing the slashes across her stomach while Remus focused on her neck. Sirius suddenly stepped forward, making Harry look up. Dumbledore finished healing the gashes on Hermione's stomach and looked at Sirius and the bottle he held. Remus gave a frustrated sigh as half of the gash on Hermione's throat healed but the other half didn't. "Dumbledore, I'm rubbish at these complex healing spells!" Dumbledore nodded and Remus focused his attention on Sirius.

"Here, I have a small bottle of Essence of Dittany. Let's use this to heal her arm," Sirius said as he knelt beside Harry. "Hermione, my name is Sirius. This is going to burn…a lot, but it will heal up your arm." Hermione's eyes met Remus's briefly before the sting of the Essence of Dittany hit and she cried out, choking on the still healing slash on her throat and the blood pooling out of the corner of her mouth. Her body jerked violently, making Harry fight to hold her arm still. Remus quickly wiped his bloody hands on his shirt before placing them on the sides of her face.

"Focus on me, Hermione. You'll be okay," Remus said to her as calmly as he could. Her brown eyes met his panicked blue eyes. Remus watched as Dumbledore moved from Remus's side and quickly ushered Harry out of the way so that he could finish healing her throat.

"Remus…" she whispered and he whipped his head back around to face her.

"Shh, shh, you're safe now," he interrupted as her eyes began to droop. "I need you to stay awake, love, can you do that for me?" Remus asked as her eyes closed and he quickly muttered a curse.

"She's lost too much blood; we need to get her to Poppy," Dumbledore told the four men as he finished healing her throat. Remus quickly scooped her limp body up and quickly ran through the school gates to the school. Dumbledore shook his head before pointing his wand at the sprinting man, making him disappear. Harry, Ron, and Sirius looked at him in surprise and he shrugged simply.

"Being Headmaster gives me a few benefits. Off we go," Dumbledore replied before performing the same spell on the rest of the group and himself.

**Remus**

Remus stumbled slightly as his feet suddenly came in contact with the cobbled floors of the first floor Hospital Wing. Remus glanced around and found the room empty of students and quickly placed Hermione on a bed and pulled the curtain around the bed.

"POPPY!" he yelled as he began to check Hermione's heart rate. "POPPY!" he yelled again when he found her pulse weak.

"Remus? What is the meaning of this commotion? Do you realize what time it is?!" Madam Pomfrey called out as she hurried from her office to where Remus was. Her eyes widened when she saw him peer around the curtains covered in blood. "What have you…Oh dear, who is this? What's happened?" she cried out as she began tending to Hermione.

"She is a very special case, Poppy," Dumbledore replied and Poppy turned to glance at him briefly before focusing on the unconscious girl in front of her. "I trust that we will have your complete silence on this topic."

"Of course, Headmaster, now tell me what has happened to her so I can heal her." Poppy demanded and Dumbledore quickly explained the basics of Hermione's injuries. Remus watched wearily as the older healer rushed to gather potions from her office and began pouring them down Hermione's throat.

"Will she be alright, Madam Pomfrey?" Harry asked and the nurse stopped moving and glanced at the group in surprise, as if she had forgotten they were all there.

"Not if you all don't leave me to my work. Out! I will let you know when she is well enough for visitors," the nurse said as she tried to shoo the four men and the headmaster away. Dumbledore and Sirius happily backed up, but Harry, Ron, and Remus stayed put. Poppy stared at them for a moment before sighing and carrying on with what she was doing. The five men waited in silence for what seemed like hours to Harry and Remus before Poppy stepped out of the curtained area and nodded. "She's going to be fine. Whatever happened to give her those injuries…well she is just lucky that you five were there to quickly heal her. May I ask, will she be a new student?"

Remus sighed in relief before glancing at Dumbledore, who nodded and left the room without answering the head nurse's question. Remus cleared his throat before replying, "Unofficially, she will be. She's…not exactly permitted to be here…" Remus finished with a slight cough before glancing up at Poppy's face, which was currently holding a shocked facial expression.

"She's a muggle born! What will Albus do if the ministry catches on to this?"

"That's why he wants her situation to be kept delicate, Poppy," Sirius replied before glancing at the sleeping girl on the bed. "We're trying to keep as few people aware of her presence as possible. The Death Eaters were after her pretty intently, and judging by her wounds, I'm guessing she fought back. She's got nowhere else that is safe, Poppy, surely you can understand that."

"Of course I do!" Poppy replied indignantly.

"We're going to teach her to defend herself, Madam Pomfrey. She deserves a fighting chance," Ron stepped in, shocking Remus because the normally vocal red head had been unusually quiet through the whole experience. "Right, Lupin? You're going to help her learn to fight aren't you?"

"Of course I am. It's actually something Dumbledore and I were going to discuss shortly after her arrival," Remus moved closer to the bed and glanced at Hermione's face. He was relieved to see her face had almost returned to its natural color. Poppy gave a tired sigh before nodding.

"Alright, I'll keep this whole night quiet and I'll keep her area blocked off from the other children," she flourished her wand and the curtains slammed shut in front of Remus and spelled shut. "I understand your concern, Remus, but she needs her rest and so do you. No visitors for the rest of the night; go wash up and get some rest." Poppy demanded, making Remus glare at her and stare anxiously at the curtained off bed Hermione slept in.

"Come on, Remus, let's go wash up and get some rest. There's nothing more that we can do for her tonight," Harry told him as Ron helped to push the older man towards the exit where Sirius waited. Sirius clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder before glancing at Remus with a curious look to his face but Remus was too distracted trying to keep an eye on where Hermione was resting to notice.


End file.
